Protection of life and livelihood constituted, in that order, the elements of securing the welfare of the people. Disagreeing with earlier teachers, Kautilya points out that life was more important than livelihood. Even when a man’s property was attached by a decree in a civil suit, he was not to be deprived of the tools of his trade.
Order was maintained by controlling movement and activities like drinking and gambling. A curfew was normally imposed in the cities at night. Care was, however, taken to ensure that the city guards did not use it to misbehave with women.
Both masters of gambling halls and the gamblers themselves were punished for dishonest behavior.
Kautilya, also known as Chanakya and Vishnugupta, wrote the Arthashastra in the second century AD though the date has not been conclusively established. A master stategist who was well-versed in the Vedas and adept at creating intrigues and devising political stratagems, Kautilya was the man who shattered the Nanda dynasty and installed Chandragupta Maurya as the king of Magadha.
The Arthashastra contains fifteen books which cover numerous topics that are of relevance even today: revolts and rebellions, structure of the state, consumer protection, salaries of government servants, property laws, labour laws, criminal investigations, the penal system, prevention of confederacies and oligarchies, the duties of the king, and a complete code of law, among others.
Artha, meaning wealth, is one of four supreme aims suggested by Hindu tradition. However, as the Arthashastra divulges, it has a much wider connotation, and the material well-being of individuals is just a part of it. A curiously inclusive discourse of statecraft, the Arthashastra is testimony to Kautilya’s genius and foresight.
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